Todd Tiahrt: “I rise, Mr. Chairman, today to help farmers, union workers, and American jobs and the U.S. economy. We must attempt to…”

“I rise, Mr. Chairman, today to help farmers, union workers, and American jobs and the U.S. economy. We must attempt to level the playing field with the European Union by using the export enhancement program funds to move value-added products into the export markets. The European Union has been twisting their agricultural and trade policies in GATT to unfairly crush the value-added exports like wheat flour. The European Union is lowering domestic input prices to give themselves a tremendous cost advantage over U.S. exports. Incredibly, the United States has had at its disposal millions of dollars to support U.S. agricultural export industries. These funds have been authorized and funded by the people through their elected Representatives under the export enhancement program to the tune of $350 million for this fiscal year alone. However, less than 2 percent has been spent by the administration, leaving our farmers and union workers and American jobs hanging out there vulnerable to the world markets.”